Adjustable casket-clamp for hearses or funeral-cars.



W. AfROE & W. H. ANTES. ADJUSTABLE GASKET CLAMP FOR HEARSES 0R FUNERAL CARS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 30, 1909.

Patented Aug. 17, 1909' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

' WILLIAM A. ROE AND WILLIAM H. ANTES, OF DES MOINES, IOWA, ASSIGN'ORS TO DES MOINES CASKET COMPANY, OF DES MOINES,

IOWA, A CORPORATION OF IOWA.

ADJUSTABLE GASICET-CLAMP FOR HEARSES OR FUNERAL-CARS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 17, 1909.

Application filed January 30, 1909. Serial No. 475,507.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, WILLIAM A. Ron and WILLIAM H. ANTES, citizens of the United States, residing at Des Moines, in the county of Polk and State of Iowa, have invented a new and useful Adjustable Casket-Clamp for Use in Hearses or Funeral-Cars, of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to provide improved construction for the tables of liearses, funeral cars, or wagons.

A further object of this invention is to pro vlde a new and useful construction for clamps adapted to be mounted on and employed in connection with the tables of hearses, funeral cars, or wagons.

A further object of this invention is to provide improved means for adjusting clamps in connection with the table of a hearse, funeral car, or wagon.

Our invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of elements hereinafter set forth, pointed out in our claims and illustrated by the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a plan of the table of a hearse, funeral car, or wagon, insofar as it relates to the application and use of this invention. Fig. 2 is a bottom plan of the same. Fig. 3 is a rear end elevation, partly in section, of the same. Fig. 4 is an enlarged cross section on the indicated line 4-4 of Fig. 2, illustrating the construction of means employed to move clamps relative to each other.

In the construction of the device as shown the numeral 10 designates the table of a hearse, funeral car, or wagon and preferably is made of wood in any suitable manner. A plurality of bed-rollers 11 are mounted in and project above the surface of the table 10 and are arranged in rows throughout the length of said table. A roller 12 is journaled in suitable bearings in a notch formed in the rear end portion of the table 10 and said roller extends transversely of said table and projects slightly above the upper face thereof, A plurality of slots are formed in and transversely of the table 10 and are arranged in rows on opposite sides of the median line thereof. Metal slideways 13, 14 are mounted in the slots of the table and on opposite sides of the median line thereof. ihe slideways 13 are on one side and the slideways 14 are on the other side of the median line of the table. A shaft 15 is mounted longitudinally of the median line of the table 10 and is journaled for rotation in bearings 16 arranged in alinement on and projecting dovmward from said table. A crank 17 is detachably mounted on the rear end of the shaft 15 and is adapted to be revolved manually at the rear of the table 10. A ratchet wheel 18 is fixed to the shaft 15 adjacent to the crank 17 and normally is engaged by a detent lever 19 fulcrumed on the table 10. A push rod 20 is mounted through the table 10 and rests on one end of the detent lever 19. lhe push rod 20 may be manually depressed to cause the lever 19 to disengage from the ratchet wheel 18 Rack bars 21, 22 are mounted transversely of and beneath the table 10, The rack bars 21, 22 are arranged in pairs and engage, respectively, above and below inions 23 fixed to the shaft 15. The rack bars 21 ride on the pinions 23 while the rack bars 22 are of? set intermediate of their ends and extend beneath said pinions and are supported by slide bearings 24 depending from. the table 10. Clamp-heads 25, 26 are slidingly mounted in and extend from the slide- Ways 13, 14 respectively. The clamp-heads 26 are fixed to outer end portions of the rack bars 21, while the clamp-heads 25 are fixed to outer end portions of the rack bars 22. The clamp-heads 25, 26 extend upward from the table 10 and are shaped to engage side portions of a casket resting on said table.

In practical use the parts are assembled substantially as shown and a casket is placed on the table 10 by sliding it longitudinally over the roller 12 and bed-rollers 11, until it is placed substantially centrally of the table. Then the crank 17 is rotated to the right and effects a rotation of the shaft 15 and pinions 23. In the rotation of the pinions 23 the rack bars 21, 22 are moved inward across the table 10 and the clampheads 25, 26 carried by said rack bars are moved inward along the slideways 13, 14 and into contact with side margins of the casket. By this means the clamp-heads 25, 26 are caused to grip and engage the casket between them and are held in such position by engagement of the detent lever 19 with the ratchet wheel 18. When it is desired to remove the casket from the table 10, the detent lever 19 is disengaged by manual depression of the push rod 20 and the shaft is reversely rotated by opposite manual actuation of the crank 17, which results in outward movetransversely beneath and across the center of ment of the rack bars 21, 22 and consequent 1 separation of the clamp-heads.

We claim as our invention 1. An adjustable casket clamp for use in a hearse, funeral car, or wagon, comprising clamp-heads mounted for reciprocation, rack bars mounted for reciprocation and carrying said clamp-heads, a shaft mounted for rotation and pinions on said shaft engaging said rack bars.

2. An adjustable casket clamp for use in a hearse, funeral car, or wagon, comprising clamp-heads mounted for reciprocation, rack bars mounted for reciprocation and carrying said clamp-heads, a shaft mounted for rotation, pinions on said shaft engaging said rack bars, a ratchet wheel on said shaft, a detent engaging said ratchet wheel and means for disengaging said detent.

3. The combination of a hearse table formed with transverse slots, clamp-heads mounted for travel in said slots, a shaft, pinions on said shaft, rack bars fixed to said clamp-heads beneath said table and crossing said shaft above and below and in engagement with said pinions respectively, means for rotating said shaft, and means for latching said shaft against rotation.

4. The combination with the table of a funeral car formed With transverse slots, of slideways mounted in said slots, clamp-heads sliding-1y mounted in said ways, rack bars fixed to said clamp-heads and extending said table, a shaft journaled to and beneath the center of said table, pinions on said shaft engaging said rack bars, the bars from one side of the table extending above and the bars from the other side of the table extending beneath said pinions, means for rotating said shaft and means for latching said shaft against rotation.

5. The combination of a hearse table having bed-rollers, an entrance roller, and formed with transverse slots, of slideways mounted in said slots, clamp-heads slidingly mounted in said ways, rack bars on said clamp heads, a shaft journaled beneath said table, pinions on said shaft engaging said rack bars, means for rotating said shaft and means for latching said shaft against rotation.

6. The combination of a hearse table formed with parallel transverse slots arranged on opposite sides of the median line thereof, slideways mounted in said slots, clamp heads mounted for travel in said slots, a shaft journaled to and beneath said table, pinions on said shaft, rack bars fixed to said clamp heads beneath said table and crossing said shaft above and below and in engagement with said pinions respectively, means for rotating said shaft, and means for latching said shaft against rotation.

WILLIAM A. ROE. WILLIAM H. ANTES.

Witnesses:

W. W. FINK, S. 0. SWEET. 

